


Third Eye Tattoo

by brokenbottleaurora



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, F/F, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-04-23 06:12:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19145167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenbottleaurora/pseuds/brokenbottleaurora
Summary: When life hands you lemons, use them to practice your skills with a tattoo needle! In need of career changes, Ginny and Luna open magical Britain's first tattoo and piercing shop in Diagon Alley—but is the wizarding world ready? A series of interconnected, mostly chronological short stories. Will feature a large cast of supporting characters. TattooShop!AU.





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning: Extensive discussion of needles, tattooing, and piercing**  
> Hope you enjoy!

 

A rush of excitement filled Ginny’s chest as she flipped the paper sign in the shop’s front window from Closed to Open. They’d finally done it. Third Eye Tattoo was officially open for business.

Her girlfriend’s delicate hand slipped into her own. “For all of our planning and practice, I wasn’t sure we’d ever get here,” Luna said.

“That’s funny,” Ginny said with a grin, “I seem to remember that _you_ were the one telling _me_ to have a little faith, that you could actually See this dream becoming a reality.”

Luna shrugged and countered, “Not everything I See comes true the way I expect. I’m glad this one did, though.”

In the five years since graduating Hogwarts, Ginny had played professional Quidditch and Luna had gained a reputation as the best portrait painter in wizarding Britain. Their life together had been happy and uneventful until, almost a year ago, Ginny found herself injured and unable to continue playing.

Luna played a huge role during Ginny’s transition from professional athlete to temporarily unemployed. She did what she could to get Ginny’s mind off of her misfortunes, and one of Ginny’s favorite things to do was watch Luna as she drew. It was so different and awe-inspiring to watch Luna pour her soul into a small, battered sketchbook rather than one of the portraits she was coming to hate.

Ginny also loved to let Luna draw on her body. There was something soothing about the feeling of Muggle markers and pens dragging lightly across her skin, and the result was always so pretty that Ginny hated to ever wash it away. That’s what started the tattoo conversation.

After the whole Dark Mark thing, the wizarding world was rather wary of tattoos. Ginny didn’t care. She knew exactly what she wanted, social convention be damned. Luna was a bit skeptical about leaving her artwork on Ginny’s skin permanently, but she played along. They ordered a decent tattooing set from a Muggle catalog and had the needles enchanted for strength and permanence. Luna learned to use the apparatus first on pieces of fruit and then on pig’s skin they got from the butcher, just like all the how-to books suggested. Finally, when she was comfortable enough with the equipment, she gave Ginny her first tattoo on their kitchen table.

Ginny loved to look at the space on her left ribs, just below her heart, and see a pale, grinning moon wrapped gently around the freckled sun. The pain had been more intense than anticipated, and some of the lines were slightly unsteady, but she thought it was perfect anyway. In fact, Luna had since done several more tattoos for Ginny and even a select few for herself.

The idea of such a permanent decision, however, rarely appealed to Luna. She could sometimes See the outcomes of her decisions, and many of those involving tattoos led to regret. Instead, she’d asked Ginny to explore the idea of piercings.

They figured any piercing done with a non-enchanted needle could be healed with a simple charm and, since there was no good way to practice, decided to test that theory on themselves. Ginny bought a bunch of piercing needles, and she and Luna spent a few weeks piercing and re-piercing each other’s ears, noses, lips, and belly buttons. They became quite adept at Numbing and Healing Charms, but eventually Ginny became quite confident in her abilities with a needle.

But needles and occasional Numbing Charms do not a career make. Though they could both live fairly comfortably on Luna’s painting commissions, Ginny _needed_ to work. She’d never been the type to sit idly by and simply be taken care of; she wanted to give as much as she took.

The idea for it all came to her as they lay in bed late one night.

“Hey Lu,” she whispered, tucking a piece of hair behind her girlfriend’s ear.

Luna flipped over to face her. “Hmmm?”

“How fun would it be to open a tattoo and piercing shop? Like the ones our catalogs are meant for.”

“That would be a nice break from reality. I’ll admit that painting nothing but stuffy rich people can be a bit creatively stifling.”

“Exactly. You’d be able to work on your own art, and I could do the piercings and the management stuff.”

“Hah. Maybe you could pierce Minister Shacklebolt’s nose, and I could offer to tattoo his approval rating to his arm for free!” Luna cackled loudly at her own silliness.

Ginny’s face fell at her laughter. “I’m being serious here, Lu. I know it’s not something that’s really caught on in the magical world yet and that everyone will probably think it’s terribly scandalous, but that just means we could be the ones to make it happen. You hate doing those portraits now, and I’ve _got_ to find something to do with my life. I really think we should give having our our own shop a go.”

Luna opened her mouth to respond when her eyes glazed over and her entire body stilled. After a moment, she shook herself a bit.

“You Saw that decision, didn’t you?” Ginny whispered excitedly. “What do you think? Should we do this? What if—“

“I need to sleep on it,” Luna said firmly before flopping back over.

The next morning, she woke up full of enthusiasm and faith that this venture would be a great opportunity for them both professionally and emotionally. If Luna was all in, then so was Ginny.

After a three month whirlwind of Muggle post deliveries, mountains of legal paperwork, a thousand tears, and one relentless dream, Third Eye Tattoo had become a reality.

* * *

 

Ginny sat at her stool behind the counter, flipping through the Muggle catalog for body jewelry. She idly circled new things to add to her future wish list and allowed herself to daydream about the day there was a waiting list for her appointments. As they passed, the patrons of Diagon Alley did a double take to check out the new, scandalous shop, but their curiosity didn’t extend past the front door.

The grand opening was a complete bust. Faces constantly peered through their window, but not a single soul was brave enough to enter. The whole day was an utter disappointment, and Ginny was wondering if maybe she should have just let this idea remain a dream. As she flipped the little paper sign back to Closed, a knock rattled the front door.

“Really? Now?” she groused under her breath.

Ginny threw open the door to reveal Neville Longbottom, potted plant in hand.

“Hi, neighbors! How was the first day?” he chirped.

“Hey, Nev,” Luna called as Ginny showed him in. “It could have gone better.”

Ginny snorted. “I think she means it couldn’t have gone much worse.”

“I saw the crowds hanging around your shop, but I never saw anyone come in. I’m sorry,” Neville said. “Wizards in general, and especially the older generation, just seem averse to change. But maybe all the attention that comes from being Britain’s newest and only magical tattoo shop will drum up some business for you. It took a while for Wallflowers to catch on, but I have to say that being the only non-commercial magical nursery means my business is pretty good these days. It’ll happen for Third Eye. Just give it some time.”

“I hope to Merlin you’re right,” Ginny muttered.

Luna elbowed her ribs lightly. “What my dear girlfriend means to say is that we’re hopeful of the same thing. It will all work out—in time.”

“That’s why I brought you this!” he said, gesturing toward the pot of white heather on their counter. “It’s supposed to bring you good luck and help your wishes come true.”

Ginny couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her face, and she saw it mirrored on Luna’s. Maybe, with each other, good friends, and a little luck, they really could make this dream a reality.

 


	2. Harry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Warnings: Extensive discussion of needles and other tattoo paraphernalia; actual depiction of tattooing process***

Ginny flicked her wand at the cash register, removing the fine layer of dust that had settled there over the past week. Their first week open and not a single customer had bothered to come in. They'd had a few Hogwarts students on summer holiday pop in and pretend to be interested, but Ginny shooed them away. They were only there to brag to their friends who were too afraid to enter such a taboo establishment. Besides, Luna made it clear that she wouldn't work on anyone who wasn't of age. Instead, their equipment was still pristine in its drawers, and they'd resorted to cleaning to keep busy.

With a heavy sigh, Ginny sat back down on the stool she'd become far too accustomed to. The shop wouldn't make it a month if business didn't pick up, and the prospects of that happening weren't good.

The bell over the door tinkled, and Ginny, not looking up from her copy of  _Witch Weekly_ , decided to finish the article she was reading before she chased out another group of kids this morning.

"So this is what a magical tattoo parlor looks like," a familiar voice said.

Ginny's head snapped up.

"Harry!" she cried, running around the counter to pull him into a hug. "What on earth are you doing in here? How are you? And Hermione?"

Harry chuckled as he squeezed her back. "I'm good, Gin, really good. Hermione, too. We need to have you and Luna over for dinner again sometime soon."

"You can say that again," Luna laughed as she skipped into the front lobby from her studio area in the back. "I've missed your coq à vin—and you too, I suppose."

Harry, in a very mature move, stuck his tongue out at her.

"But really, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked.

"Can't a guy come check out two of his best friends' new shop? I've been dying to get over here," Harry replied.

"Well, you're our first real visitor," Luna told him.

His gaped at them. "Seriously? How has no one been in here yet? People know how good Luna's paintings are. Surely someone wants would want to have a piece of her art permanently."

"You know how the magical world is about tattoos," Ginny said. "We didn't think we'd change any opinions over night, but I thought we'd at least get a few Muggleborns or a rebellious young guy or two. But nothing so far."

Harry appeared as though he wanted to console Ginny and Luna, but instead he looked around the shop, studying everything and avoiding their gazes.

Without warning, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Luna, are you free this afternoon?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "Why do you ask?"

Harry straightened and looked her square in the eye. "I'd like to schedule a consultation. I'm afraid it might take quite a bit of time."

A beat of silence passed.

"You're serious?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," Harry said confidently. "I said it myself—Luna's work is incredible, and I'd be honored to be able to keep a piece of it permanently."

Luna shot him a small smile. "Thanks, Harry. That means a lot coming from you."

"Well, let's not keep the customer waiting!" Ginny cried. "Step on back into the consultation area, Mr. Potter."

She led them behind a curtain of beads to a small space with a table and desk chair for Luna and a few extra stools for potential customers.

"Do you have anything specific in mind, Harry?" Luna asked as she pulled out a sketchpad.

Harry smirked. "Well, I seem to remember that one of my first real girlfriends telling everyone that I had a Hungarian Horntail tattooed on my chest. Much more macho than a hippogriff, you know."

Ginny's face and neck flushed as red as her hair as Harry and Luna shared a little chuckle at her expense.

"I was just trying to help you out," she muttered, trying to will the blood in her cheeks back its normal place.

"I know, Gin, I just like to tease you." Harry pulled her into a one-armed half-apology. "But in all seriousness, I really do think I'd like the Horntail on my chest. It reminds me of Cedric and why I fought so hard for so long. It also makes me think of one of my closest friends who never let me fight alone—even if she did leave me for the person that would be doing the tattoo."

Ginny lightly swatted his arm. "Ugh, that's been ages. And besides, the whole world knew you were in love with Hermione, even if you didn't."

"Yes, and you've been like a sister to me since then. You still could have told me that you preferred other women before I walked in on you snogging Luna in a random classroom."

"In our defense, you two never actually got back together after the final battle, and we really thought you were rebuilding in a different part of the castle," Luna added, her own cheeks flushing.

"And it's not that I prefer  _women_ , per se. I just liked Luna more than you," Ginny finished with a huff.

Harry waved dismissively. "I know, you and I covered that a long time ago. I just thought it was ironic that Luna is the one who will be giving me a tattoo that reminds me so much of you."

At that, Luna perked up. " _Will_  be giving? So you really want to do this?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, now that I've talked about it, I realized I do. I just want to hammer out a few details first."

Over the next couple of hours, Harry and Luna discussed style, placement, and other particulars. Ginny went out to pick up lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and came back to find them with a finalized design. After a quick bite to eat, the real fun started.

Luna worked almost silently, so Ginny kept Harry company and tried to distract him from the pain.

"Is there a reason you can't use a Numbing Charm?" he hissed.

Ginny shrugged. "Luna told me it'll interference with the enchantment on the needle. She started to go into the specifics of it, and I honestly tuned her out. All of that is way above my head."

"I heard that," Luna said, wiping the skin clean again. "I'm almost finished anyway."

"Good," Harry muttered through clenched teeth.

Before long, Luna was smoothing a clear plastic dressing over the new tattoo.

"Luna, this is amazing," Harry breathed, lightly touching the edge of the dressing.

Ginny had to agree. The black, fierce-looking dragon slowly circled his right pectoral muscle, occasionally opening its mouth to roar or shoot flames towards Harry's sternum. The minute details, from the dragon's yellow, cat-like eyes to the individual scales on its back, were absolutely stunning.

"Now remember, no potions or salves on the area until it's fully healed," Luna clucked. "Come back and see me next week so I can check up on it and we can see how you're liking it."

"I'll do it!" Harry said, shrugging on his shirt. "How much do I owe you, Luna?"

After a quick bit of mental math, she said, "Let's call it thirty galleons."

Harry shook his head, counted out a stack of coins, and put them next to the till. "I think you're selling yourself short, Luna. What you've given is worth a  _lot_ more."

With that, he kissed them both on the cheek and walked out of the store with a bit of swagger that hadn't been there before.

"How much do you want to bet he actually left?" Luna asked.

Ginny slipped an arm around her waist and glanced at the pile of gold coins. "Probably at least fifty, if not more. He was right, though. You're selling your art, your creativity, your skill. Don't underbid your own abilities, babe."

"I suppose you're right," she replied, dropping her head to Ginny's shoulder. "It's been a long day. Why don't we close up and head home before Hermione realizes what he's done?"

Ginny's heart stuttered. Crap.  _Hermione_.

"Think she'll like it eventually?"

Luna laughed. "Totally. But I'd bet that stack of Galleons that she throws a fit about it first. The question is whether or not Harry will be her only victim."

Ginny ran to flip the sign to 'Closed' and started tugging Luna toward the Floo. "Let's not stick around and find out."


	3. Malfoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Warnings: Extensive discussion of needles and other tattoo paraphernalia; actual depiction of tattooing process***  
> Author's Note: Luna probably seems a little out of character, but I can't forget that Draco was one of the people keeping her captive in that cellar. Though she doesn't pursue straight out vengeance when given the opportunity (I mean, she's armed with a needle and he can't see what's happening—I wouldn't be that nice), I figure even her graciousness has its limits.

Ginny heard the incessant knocking the moment her feet hit the fireplace grate. She hustled out of the Floo to unlock the front door and found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"Weasley, your posted hours say that this…  _establishment_  should have been open three minutes ago," he sneered, pushing past her into the lobby.

She quickly stepped in front of him, although she hardly felt ready to go toe-to-toe with the man before she'd had her morning tea. "Good morning to you too, Malfoy. How can I help you today?" she asked in a saccharine tone.

"I want a tattoo, obviously."

"Then you've come to the right place,  _obviously_."

"Let's get on with it, then!"

"I don't do tattoos."

"What do you mean you don't do tattoos? Is this not a damn tattoo parlor?"

"It is, but  _I don't do tattoos_ , numbskull."

"Then what in Merlin's name are you doing here?" he growled while scrubbing a hand down his face. "And you may own the place, but here's a little tip—it's not very good business to insult your customers."

"I only insulted you because you deserved it," Ginny shot back. "And I don't do the tattoos, Luna does. Trust me, I'm only good with piercing needles. I can show you if you'd like."

Malfoy flinched. "And when, pray tell, does Luna plan on arriving?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Ginny put a fist on her hip. "She'll be here whenever she damn well—" The Floo chime echoed through the empty shop. "Lucky for you, she's just arrived. I hope she's more willing to put up with your nonsense than I am, Malfoy."

She cleared her throat and called, "Lu, you've got a customer!"

Luna quickly entered and raised her eyebrows at the scene in front of her.

"Babe, Malfoy here says he'd like a tattoo. Do you have any openings?" Though it would be the perfect opportunity for vengeance, Ginny knew Luna would never take advantage of it. She hoped she would say no, just to spite the ferret-faced jerk.

Luna made a show of glancing at the clock. "I suppose I have a bit of time. Follow me." She turned on her heel, not waiting to see if Malfoy would join her.

The two blonds disappeared behind the beaded curtain, and Ginny opened the shop and started drafting some promotional materials. Half an hour later, the pair emerged from the consultation area. Draco looked rather pleased with himself, and Luna rolled her eyes behind his back before directing him back to the chair.

"This is going to take a few hours," she told Ginny.

"Need any help?"

"No, we'll be fine. Besides, I don't know that I trust you and Draco together in the same room. Too much potential for property damage."

Ginny's face flamed. "There's—we don't—I—I can control myself if he does!"

"Uh-huh, I'm sure you can. All the same, you're better off out front," Luna said before she kissed her cheek and flounced back to the work area.

Ginny tried to focus on the advertisement she was drawing up for the  _Quibbler_  and the  _Prophet_ , but she couldn't ignore the pained sounds echoing through the shop.

...

"Ow.  _Ow_. Ouch, woman! Cut it out!"

…

"Sssssss—was that really necessary?"

…

"How can you sit in silence this long? I'm going mad here!"

"Easy. I need to concentrate."

"But do you really need complete silence? Surely we could chat a bit or I could—"

"Unless you want a fat lizard instead of a dragon, hush."

…

Finally, Malfoy sauntered back into the lobby, his chest puffed out to show off his new, freshly bandaged tattoo.

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Is that...?"

"Why yes, it is a Hungarian Horntail. Draco is Latin for dragon, you know," he drawled.

"So you decided to get a tattoo that looks exactly like Harry's?"

"It's  _not_  exactly like his!" Draco thrust his nose in the air and sniffed haughtily. "Mine is bigger."

Ginny tried her best to stifle a laugh.

"Apparently everyone at the Ministry was oohing and ahhing over the one I did for Harry a few days ago, and Draco here decided that he wanted to one up him," Luna explained, fighting to keep a straight face.

"Did not!" Malfoy protested. "I just—"

"I don't seem to remember Harry crying about his," Ginny said through her barely-suppressed laughter.

Luna choked out, "Oh, Draco didn't cry. He just threatened to murder me under his breath every few minutes."

As the two women fought to compose themselves, Malfoy angrily dumped a pile of Galleons on the counter. "There, paid in full! I swear I'm never coming back to this place. I'm going to tell everyone what a terrible experience I had, and that the management is horrendous, and my father will…"

Malfoy kept up his rant all the way out of the shop, and, when the door slammed shut, Luna and Ginny finally allowed themselves to collapse in hysterical laughter.

"How much did you charge him?" Ginny finally asked, wiping the tears from beneath her eyes.

Luna chuckled through her hiccups. "Sixty Galleons."

"That's my girl," Ginny said. "Do you reckon he had the good grace to leave you a tip?"

"The odds aren't good."

"And what are the odds he comes back for a follow-up appointment?"

Luna snorted and started laughing again. "Even worse."

* * *

As they were getting ready to close up shop that night, Harry burst through the door of the shop panting.

Luna shot him an exasperated look and then cocked an eyebrow at him. "Let me guess, you want me to touch yours up and make it bigger than Draco's?"

Harry nodded, looking at least a little abashed.

Luna sighed and motioned him back toward the chair. "Come on, I've already got it drawn up."


	4. Charlie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Extensive discussion of needles and other tattoo paraphernalia
> 
> Author's Note: So this is significantly longer than I intended for it to be, but the storyline was like a big dog on a leash—it took off on its own, and all I could do was follow. I hope you enjoy it just the same! Also, I really need to give an enormous shout out to my friends, especially Aya and Gab, over at the Monthly Challenges for All forum on FFN. They've been so incredibly kind as to beta these chapters for me and make sure that a) things come out the way I mean for them to and b) I don't lose my motivation. I couldn't do it without you guys!

Thanks to Ginny's knack for advertising and the rekindled feud between Harry and Malfoy, business had steadily increased. More customers, however, meant more money moving in and out, so it took far more effort to keep their finances in order. That's why, when the silver bell over the door announced a new arrival, Ginny was too focused on the bookkeeping to look up.

"Nice digs, little sis!"

Ginny looked up to see Charlie looking around the shop in appreciation.

"Charlie! What are you doing here?" she cried, nearly bowling him over with a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Gin," Charlie laughed. "I had some time off from the reserve, and I figured I should try to make it up to Mum for missing last Christmas."

Ginny winced. "Good luck with that."

"Kind of figured as much. Though it might be easier now that my little sister has turned into the rebel of the family."

"Yeah, I guess you've heard that Mum's not exactly thrilled about the shop…"

Charlie slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "She'll come around. But in the meantime, what do you say we give her something else to bitch about?"

Ginny perked up and then grinned slyly. "Whadya have in mind? A nice ear piercing so that you can match Bill? Mum says that you used to love when she dressed you two alike, but honestly I think you're getting a bit old for that."

"No, you little turd." Charlie rolled his eyes. "I was thinking—wait, you're not the one doing the ink, are you? I've seen your drawing skills and—

"Hey!" she cried, slugging him in the arm.

"Just checking!" he said with a grin. "Anyway, I've always thought that, since I work with dragons and all, it might be kind of cool to have some wings of my own."

Ginny nodded. "Sweet! That'll be right up Luna's alley."

The blonde stepped out of the consultation area. "Hello, Charlie! What'll be right up my alley, babe?" Luna asked.

"Charlie wants his own set of wings!"

"Oh, that sounds lovely. Come on, Charlie, let's go have a little chat."

As they disappeared back behind the beaded curtain, Neville walked in the front door armed with another potted plant. "Hey, Gin! You guys have looked a bit busier this last week."

"Yeah, it's been great. We've really been able to capitalize on the publicity from the old Harry/Malfoy rivalry starting up again." Ginny motioned to the pot in his hands. "What do you have there?"

He grinned and hoisted it a bit higher on his hip. "This, my friend, is an oak-leaved geranium. I've got a couple at my place that are getting pretty big, and I thought you two might like one for your front window. I figure some plants might make this place seem a bit less intimidating, you know?"

Ginny's fingers brushed one of the pink and purple flowers. The blooms didn't seem to have much scent, but the leaves smelled delightfully green and spicy. "Thanks, Nev, that's really sweet of you. I never really considered that. What did we ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Helped me organize a resistance against the Death Eaters and let me hang around your shop?" he snarked. "I do have an ulterior motive, though, because I always feel more at home anytime an office or shop has plants around," he said.

"That's because you're more at home with plants than people," she teased lightly. "But I wouldn't have you any other way. I just hope we don't let you down with these little guys—you should know I pretty much have a black thumb. It's a miracle the last one is still alive." She glanced over at the drooping, slightly brown heather. "Er, mostly alive."

The look of horror on Neville's face was almost comical. "I didn't even think of that. I'll just—I'll come over on my way home now and again to check on them. Maybe just don't touch them?"

Ginny laughed and nodded. "Can do. I really appreciate it, and so do they."

The beaded curtain rattled, and out stepped Luna and Charlie.

"Neville Longbottom! Good to see you, mate," Charlie said, pulling him into a back-slapping hug.

"You too, Charlie, you too. Back in England to see the family?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to make nice with Mum, but I figured that I'd stop here and do something to make her a little madder first. What's new with you, man?"

"Not a lot. I've got the shop next door, so I'm just visiting and dropping off a plant. What about you?"

"Yeah, best to keep Gin away from those. Oof!" Charlie grunted when Ginny's shoe hit his shin. "Nothing spectacular to speak of, I suppose. I did just break it off with a girl back in Romania, so if you know of anyone who'd like a date any time over the next two weeks—but only the next two weeks, mind you—tell them to send me an owl."

Neville pulled uncomfortably at his collar. "Uh, sure thing."

"Say, Nev, are you seeing anyone right now?" Charlie asked with a twinkle in his eye. "I happen to know of a coworker's cousin who is sadly too young for me but might be perfect for you. She's a pretty little thing—"

"That—That—That's all right," Neville broke in. "I-I'm not really looking to date."

"Ah, you say that now, but wait until you see her," Charlie promised, waggling his eyebrows.

"Really, that's all right."

"Come on, mate, trust me!"

Neville was flushed from his hairline to below his collar. "Charlie, I appreciate the thought, but really, I'm—I'm fine. If you'll excuse me…"

The other three watched him all but bolt from the shop.

Charlie's brow furrowed. "Was it something I said?"

Luna rolled her eyes and started tugging him back toward her work area.

"Of course it was!" Ginny cried, following them back. "You all but tried to force this poor girl on him."

"I was only trying to help!"

Luna motioned for him to take off his shirt and then shoved him into the appropriate position.

Ginny took a deep breath and looked at her very confused brother. "Charlie, you have to realize that few people are as interested in dating as you.  _Very_  few, in fact."

"I represent that remark."

"What I mean is that you suck at reading social cues."

"Do not!"

"You just kept talking when Neville got flustered and stuttered and turned the color of a tomato, but yeah, that was definitely the perfect thing to do."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the buzzing of Luna's tattoo needle. When she suddenly turned it off, the silence was deafening.

"To my knowledge, Neville has never really dated, even casually," Luna murmured. "I thought he might after the war ended and we all graduated, but he's never mentioned it and neither has anyone else."

Charlie coughed uncomfortably, his ears tinged with pink. "Should I have tried to, uh, set him up with a male kind of friend instead?"

"I really think he meant it when he said he just wasn't interested in dating. I'm not sure he ever will be. Or, if he does pursue a relationship, I'm sure it will be on his own kind of terms. And that's okay, too," Ginny replied.

Charlie considered this for a moment and then nodded slowly. "I don't personally understand, but I can respect that. It takes all kinds of kinds."

"You're a good egg, Charlie Weasley," Ginny said with a smile. "Even if you are an idiot."

Ginny left Luna to do her thing while she went back to the bookkeeping, but Neville stayed at the forefront of her thoughts. It was incredibly distracting. Even though it was closing time, she'd barely finished when Luna walked in, grinning like a fool. Charlie followed in much the same fashion.

"I really think it's my best one yet!" she chirped.

Charlie nodded. "It's bloody amazing is what it is."

He turned around, and Ginny could see that Luna had crafted the most realistic dragon wings she'd ever seen  _not_  attached to a dragon. The red tips started at Charlie's elbow and stretched across his hulking triceps, deepening to a shadowy crimson over his shoulders, finally sprouting naturally from just behind his shoulder blades in a shade so dark it was nearly black. Ginny was tempted to reach out and see if the skin felt as leathery as it looked.

"Incredible, Lu. You amaze me every time." She planted a kiss into her blonde hair.

"Damn right it's incredible! Worth every Galleon. The boys back on the reserve are going to be a bunch of jealous gits!" Charlie crowed. "But as much as I would love to stay and celebrate Luna's genius with a needle, I've got to get over to the Burrow and surprise Mum."

"Try not to rile her up too much," Ginny said, hugging her brother goodbye.

"No promises!" Charlie called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

They quickly cleaned the shop and got ready to Floo home when Ginny remembered the new plant.

"It's got to go in the front window, probably for sunlight," she told Luna, levitating it onto the small window display area. She was twisting it so that the maximum number of flowers would show from the street when she noticed that light was still coming from Neville's shop window.

"Lu, Neville's still here. Do you want to go over there with me and see if he needs anything?"

"Yes, I think—" Luna's eyes glazed over for a moment, and then she shook her head to clear it. "Let's go head on over."

"You're not going to tell me what you Saw, are you?"

Luna smirked. "Nope."

Ginny sighed and motioned Luna out the front door, locking it behind them. She tried Neville's door and found it unlocked.

"Hello? Nev?" she called, poking her head inside.

"Back here, be with you in a moment!" he yelled.

Ginny and Luna slowly made their way to the counter, trying to remind themselves that, despite being enveloped by hundreds of plants, they were not, in fact, deep in a jungle.

Neville came in from his back room, dusting his hands on the front of his shirt. "Gin! Lu! What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

Luna raised an eyebrow at him. "I think you forgot to lock up. And I might ask you the same question, sir. Aren't you usually home by now?"

"Yeah, but I've got a ton of orders backed up right now. I was just finishing up for the night," he said. "Come on back and I'll give a quick tour of the place."

They quickly realized that the small front area was misleading. Neville's shop was much larger than their own, and it was all growing and work space. Ginny's head kept swiveling about as he pointed out the different areas—the greenhouse corner, order prep and mailing, seedlings, poisonous plants, and so many more that she simply couldn't keep up with.

"This is amazing, Nev. How do you keep up with it all by yourself?" she asked.

"Well, as you can see, it's not the tidiest or most organized place," he said sheepishly.

Ginny looked around and started to notice small things that were out of place. Seed packets were strewn across a workbench instead of being filed in their correct boxes. Leaves, dirt, and other detritus were starting to pile up in corners and under tables. They were all little things, but they likely impeded Neville's ability to work efficiently and comfortably.

"Let's just say I have to do a lot of Summoning so that I can find things," he explained. "I really should hire someone else to work the front end, but I just don't know of anyone who has the right experience and knowledge. I and my customers can't trust the Herbology knowledge of just anyone. So I'll just keep pulling a lot of overtime until I get everything straightened out. I never thought I'd hope that business would slow down, but that's where I'm at."

"What if  _we_  helped you?" Ginny blurted out. She hadn't really thought about it, but now that it was out of her mouth, it just  _felt_  right. Of course they would help him.

Neville's brow furrowed. "What?"

Luna nodded, smiling at her girlfriend. "Gin's right. What if we helped you out here on Sundays when both of our shops are closed?"

"I can't ask you to do that," he replied. "Besides, you said it yourself that you have a black thumb."

"Ginny might, but I don't," Luna said.

"What is it, National Pick on Ginny Day?" the redhead muttered under her breath.

Luna ignored her. "I'm actually pretty good with sentient and semi-sentient plants. I don't know a lot about mundane plants, but I'm also pretty good with magical plants, especially potion ingredients."

"And I would promise to stay away from anything that's alive," Ginny added. "I'll just help you keep this place a little more clean and organized. I've got all those household charms down pat."

To demonstrate, she pointed her wand at a sink full of trowels, pots, and clippers. With a silent charm, the soap and scrub brush came to life and started to clean them all very quickly.

"I'm also pretty good at the books and advertising, and I can help mail out orders if you need me to," she said, finishing the washing with a flick of her wrist.

"I seriously can't let you guys do that for me!" Neville cried. "It's not like I can do any of the shopkeeping work better than you, and I certainly can't tattoo or pierce someone for you. I have no way of paying you back."

Luna put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Friends help friends regardless of their ability to return the favor. And who knows? There may come a day when you're in a position to help us, perhaps in a different way. But even if that doesn't happen, we still want to help you, Nev. That's what friends are for."

He opened his mouth as if to argue but instead heaved a deep sigh and relaxed. "Thanks, you guys. I promise I'll make it up to you someday."

Luna's eyes shone with what Ginny thought was mischief. "I'm sure you will."


	5. Blaise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this chapter's going to be kind of long, cheesy, and heavy on the exposition, but I thought you guys deserve to know why Ginny's life took the turn it did. And a giant thank you to everyone who has followed, comment, and given kudos on this story! I love knowing that other people like the ideas rolling around in my head. Hope you enjoy this one too!

Ginny watched yet another client follow Luna behind the beaded curtain, and her heart swelled. Things were really looking up for Third Eye Tattoo, even if Ginny hadn't had any customers of her own yet.

The small silver bell over the door tinkled, and a man walked in out of the rain. Though his face was obscured by the hood of his cloak, Ginny assumed he'd come in for a tattoo consultation.

"Luna's with another customer at the moment, so you'll have to wait a bit if you want to talk tattoos with her," she called out, going back to the advertisement she was drawing up.

"And what do I need to do if I want to have a talk with you?"

Ginny looked up into a pair of dark, expectant eyes. "I only do piercings, Zabini. Looking to add another hole to your head?"

"Maybe I do." He grinned and turned to study the jewelry in the glass cabinet beneath his hands. "What kinds of enchantments am I looking at here?"

She carefully explained all the different charms the studs and hoops were imbued with, and Blaise seemed to pay close attention to what she was saying. Still, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that he'd come to the shop looking for more than a new piercing.

When he'd selected a small silver stud, Ginny asked, "And where exactly would you like this? Your ear, or perhaps your eyebrow?"

"I want a Medusa piercing."

Ginny cocked her head. "You're joking, right? Surely you want something… I don't know, different?"

"Of course not, Weasley." He arched an eyebrow at her, and she swore he could see straight through to her soul. "I always know exactly what I want, and I always get it in the end."

That settled it, the man definitely had another agenda in coming here. She shook her head and gestured for him to follow her back to her work area.

Blaise settled onto the padded bench, and Ginny began gathering the necessary items on a small metal tray. She could feel his gaze follow her around the small room, and she wished she'd remembered to turn on the wireless or that Luna would start working on her client already. Anything to make the quiet less awkward.

"Why?" Blaise asked, shattering the silence.

Ginny couldn't help but flinch. It was the one thing she didn't want to talk about, so of course that's what he'd come here for. She stayed quiet, hoping he'd just give up.

He tried again. "Why are doing  _this_ instead of playing Quidditch?" He asked, gesturing around the shop. "Not that it's not a nice place, but I doubt it's what you always imagined doing with your life."

She turned back to him and picked up her marker.

"So, here's how this works. I'm going to put a dot to mark the site of the piercing. If it's not where you want it, let me know and I'll adjust it. If the worst happens and you realize it's not what you wanted until after I've pierced you, don't worry, I'll just heal it and go again—that's what Numbing Charms are—"

Blaise reached up and caught the marker-laden hand reaching toward his face. "Not so fast, Weasley. Before you start stabbing my face, I want to know why you're doing this."

"Because you're  _paying_  me to?"

"You know what I mean."

"So? I fail to see how that's any of your business."

"Despite, or perhaps because of, my cunning nature and manipulative tendencies, I'm a very curious man," Blaise explained, releasing her hand. "I work in the Department of Mysteries, and it's the kind of career that's less of a job and more of a lifestyle. My world has come to revolve around information and stories and secrets. I  _need_  to know the why's behind the what's. Let's just say your recent life choices have intrigued me, and I can't walk away without knowing the reasons behind them."

She stiffened. "I don't see how my personal life is any of your business."

"There's a reason for everything I do, every question I ask. Sometimes it's not readily apparent, but my information always come in handy for my work eventually. So, look at it this way—you've got an opportunity to help an Unspeakable on a project. It's really an honor, if you think about it."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope," he said with a pop. "But I gather that this is a part of your life you don't particularly want to share, so I'll sweeten the pot. Tell me about your reason why and I'll explain one of mine."

She plopped down on her stool and thought for a moment. "Fine. Tell me why you picked the Medusa."

"I didn't say you'd get to pick which one," he argued.

Ginny set her jaw and looked him straight in the eye. "Then you'll leave empty handed. You walked in here and knew exactly what you wanted. It's not a piercing known for being all that popular or intimidating, which is what I'd expect from you. I want to know why."

"Stubborn witch, aren't you?" Blaise muttered under his breath. "All right, I'll give you the short version. It reminds me of someone I loved and had to walk away from."

"And is that the kind of detail you want from me?"

"Ugh,  _fine_. I'm not sure if you remember, but I left Britain after Sixth Year. I knew we were headed for war, and I didn't want any part of it, so I spent the year at the villa in Greece. It's a beautiful place, lots of light, great food, and gorgeous locals. I met Iliana at a wizarding pub my first night there. She was stunning and vivacious and uncommonly kind, but she also had a rebellious streak I had to admire—hence the Medusa piercing that her family hated. I did the most idiotic thing I've ever done by falling in love with her. I  _knew_  it was stupid and did it anyway. When you lot finished off the Big Bad, I tried to convince her to come back to Britain with me, but she didn't want to leave her home and her family. I couldn't really fault her for that, but I  _had_ to come back here. I'd wanted to be an Unspeakable my entire life, and I knew that I could get my foot in the door if I came home just as the Ministry started to rebuild. So, I left Iliana and Greece behind me."

"Wow. That… Blaise, that's so sad."

He waved her pity away. "It's been years, and I've got a life I enjoy. I just want a little reminder of her and the sacrifices I've made to become who I am. Now let's get on to the more important topic—you."

"I could just stab you and refuse to answer."

"But you won't. All that Gryffindor integrity and other rubbish."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed. "Let me just find the right place to start."

As she thought for a moment, she marked a spot halfway between Blaise's septum and the top of his lip.

"Let me help," he said. "Why did you quit playing Quidditch just before the start of last season? There were no press releases, no comments in the coinciding preseason reports, no hints of anything. So how did the Ministry and the wizarding world let you, the Quidditch superstar and vaunted war hero, fade quietly into the background?"

Ginny sucked in a deep breath and turned away from Blaise's intense stare. She busied herself with unwrapping all the sterile implements and slowly began to tell a story she'd rather forget.

"I'm not sure how much you know about Quidditch pitches, but there are certain safeguards built in—Cushioning Charms, automated Slowing Charms, the like. About a month before last season started, I fell off my broom at practice. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, thanks to those safety features. But for some reason, the Cushioning Charm failed that day. I suppose I'm lucky it was just the Cushioning Charm, because the Slowing Charm did its job and probably saved my life, but I still hit the ground  _hard_. I spent the next few weeks at St. Mungo's. I had quite a bit more damage than expected, and when it was all over, the healers essentially told me that another fall or even another good hit to the head would likely kill me. I've since found that I can't really stand for long periods of time without getting dizzy, and sometimes I get phantom pains that feel like I'm recovering from the Cruciatus Curse. But I could really deal with all that if…

I tried to go back to practice right before our first match, but I… Damn it, I was afraid to get back in the air. Here I am, this brave, fearless war hero, and suddenly I'm too scared to fly, something I've been doing since I was big enough to hold onto a broomstick. The Harpies wanted the whole thing kept quiet to avoid the bad press. The Ministry agreed to help me keep it out of the papers so that the world wouldn't see what a coward I've become. I still needed a job, so Luna and I opened the shop."

Blaise snorted. "I don't think it's cowardice to choose between your job and staying alive. Personally, I think it was the only truly intelligent decision I've known one of you lot to make. You Gryffindors have a strange personal code, you know that?"

"I didn't just give up a job. I gave up something that was a part of me, something that made me who I was."

She lined the needle up with the purple dot and quickly poked the needle through Blaise's upper lip, "accidentally" forgetting the Numbing Charm. He hissed in pain and shot her a dirty look. She muttered a half-hearted apology, threaded the small stud through, and handed him a mirror to check out his new piercing.

"It looks perfect," he said. He passed her back the mirror and gently caught her wrist. "And even if you did literally stab me with a needle, I meant what I said. You don't have to stare down every single fear you have to be brave. And I know it sucks to give up something that was so much a part of you. But maybe, in sacrificing one piece of yourself, you might uncover another that makes you even happier."

She felt the urge to slap him for being so self-assured about  _her_  life and  _her_  choices. What did he know of her sacrifices? But then she thought of his Iliana. She thought of Luna and how happy she finally was. She thought of her closer relationships with her family and friends, and she mentally conceded that Blaise might actually know what he was talking about.

Not that she'd ever admit it. "Sweet Merlin, you're starting to sound like Luna—at least she has some Seer abilities as opposed to your tripe. But I suppose I appreciate the thought."

They walked back to the till to settle the bill, and Blaise tipped her quite handsomely.

As he tucked the receipt in his pocket, Ginny couldn't help but ask, "So did you get what you came here for? Have my answers sated your curiosity?"

He chuckled and nodded. "I suppose now that I'm including your information in the project, I can let you in on the details. We know there's a connection between the Cruciatus and brain damage, but there are surprisingly few cases where victims had any kind of brain scan done after the fact. We would use Potter's from after the whole TriWard Tournament debacle, but unsurprisingly he got a concussion during that fight, so they're not a lot of use for us. What we  _can_  get is your scans from Hogwarts before and after you were tortured by the Carrows during your Sixth Year—and before you ask, yes, the DoM was read into pretty much everything that happened that year, good, bad, and ugly. We can compare those to your scans after the fall. If my suspicions are correct, they'll show signs of damage in similar parts of your brain, which means I'm on the correct path to finding a treatment for the Cruciatus Curse."

Ginny somehow managed to pick her jaw up off the ground. "So, let me get this straight—you're going to use my brain scans? To try to find a treatment for the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Pretty much," Blaise replied, tugging on his cloak. "There are a few others too, but we thought yours would be the most comprehensive. No one thought you'd be willing to come to the Ministry and give us the necessary background information. That's why I had to come down here and confirm what happened, so we would know whether to pursue this line of investigation or try another route."

"You manipulative bastard! Did you even want that piercing? Was that stupid story even true?" Ginny cried.

Blaise flipped his hood up and shot her an odd look, somewhere between a smirk and a grimace. "Like I said, Weasley, we all make sacrifices."

He stepped back out into the rain, passing Neville in the doorway.

"Was that Blaise Zabini?" he asked, staring after the retreating figure. "What was he in here for?"

"He wanted a piercing. Said it reminded him of someone he once knew," Ginny whispered, her own eyes glued to Blaise's cloak.

Neville frowned. "Seems a bit out of character from what little I know, but I guess I don't really know the guy."

"Neither do I," she said. Ginny shook herself from her reverie and finally turned to face Neville. "What brings you here today, Nev?"

"Just here to check on things," he said, examining the leaf between his fingers before rotating the geranium pot. "Do you two need anything?"

"I think we're good. We've got dinner at the Burrow tonight, so we're going to be headed out soon."

Neville licked his lips. "Merlin, I don't remember the last time I had a real, home cooked meal. Enjoy it for me."

"Why don't you just come with us?" Ginny asked.

"I can't come to dinner with your family. I'm covered in dirt!" he exclaimed. "I'll never get all this off with just a Cleaning Charm, so I'd have to go home and change, which would make me late. I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to track in a ton of dirt or cause a delay. You know how Ron gets when he has to wait on food."

Ginny snorted. "Yeah, I do. Really, you'll be fine as you are. Like my family is going to care. My brothers and I brought in much worse than a bit of potting soil, I promise."

"Gin, I would hate to make a mess—"

With a roll of her eyes, Ginny threw her arms around Neville's dirt smattered torso. He felt stiff and probably slightly uncomfortable in her arms, but she needed to get a point across.

"My family pretty much considers  _you_ family, too," she said. "Luna and I certainly do. And trust me when I say none of us will mind a bit of dirt. See?"

Neville relaxed a bit and gently returned the hug. "Okay then, if you're sure. What time should I be over at the Burrow?"

Luna's voice drifted over from the corner, where she stood smirking at the pair. "About half an hour."

Neville quickly extricated himself from Ginny's arms but smiled down at her. "Then I'll see you two there."

He ran back out the door toward his own shop, and Ginny sagged down onto her usual stool.

"Long day?" Luna asked.

Ginny blew a piece of hair out of her face and muttered, "You have no idea."

"Well, did everything turn out alright in the end?"

She slipped her hand into Luna's and smiled. "I think it has."


	6. Arthur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Extensive discussion of needles and other tattoo paraphernalia
> 
> Author’s Note: Another (playful) warning for extreme fluff—give your dentist a call when you’re finished reading! And remember how I said these were just interconnected short stories and not an actual linear story. Here’s why—time jump! We’re several months into the future (mentally, my timeline had the shop opening in the summer, so I’ve got this happening just after the New Year). Let me know your thoughts!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry if the next couple of chapters have some typos or seem a smidge different. I just had some minor surgery, and my pain meds are making me a bit loopy, but I'm dying to get these next few chapters out. Thank goodness for good beta friends who've already caught so much of my mess! Please bear with me, and thank you SOOOOO much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. I love knowing other people are enjoying the things I write!

 “How many of these boxes did they deliver?” Neville grunted, dropping the last one onto the appropriate stack.

“I have no idea, but I hope it’s everything I ordered. Our inventory is running low, and we still need to send the needles to our enchanter and pick up the last batch from her. I never dreamed that six months into this little adventure we’d already be so successful.” Ginny wiped the sweat from her brow. “Thank you again for spending your afternoon helping with this. Luna’s got clients all day, and I never would have gotten all of this done by myself, especially since using too much magic on them can alter the properties of the inks.”

Neville reached over and smoothed the top of her hair with a smile. “Not a problem, Gin. You know most of my business is mail order this time of year, so when I finish all that in the morning. I’ve got nothing else to do when I close Wallflowers at three.”

“Son, sometimes I think you do more around this shop than the girls,” a voice said.

They turned and saw Arthur Weasley standing in the doorway to the stockroom.

“Daddy!” Ginny cried, running over to fling her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a man come visit some of his favorite kids?” he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

“It’s good to see you again, Arthur,” Neville said, reaching out to shake his hand.

Arthur grabbed it and pulled him into a hug. “Good to see you too, son. We missed you at the last family dinner.”

“Daddy, you know you can visit whenever you like, but I’m a little surprised that you apparently left the Ministry early to do it,” Ginny pushed. 

“Can you keep a secret from your mother?”

The two young people nodded and exchanged a wary glance.

“I want a tattoo,” Arthur said proudly.

“That’s wonderful!” Luna cried. “Sorry, I thought I heard a commotion back here and decided to come check it out. Lovely to see you, Arthur.”

“You too, Luna Dear.” He looked at his fellow daughter. “What do you think, Ginny?”

She just gaped at her father. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Of course not!” he scoffed. “All the hip kids are doing it these days.”

Neville managed to cover his snort with a cough, but Luna didn’t bother to hide her tinkling laughter.

Ignoring them, Ginny raised an eyebrow at her father. “Have you told Mum about this? How do you think she’s going to feel about it?”

“I mean, it’s for the family. I’m sure she’ll love it,” he said, tugging at his collar. “Though I don’t know  _ exactly _ what I want just yet. I thought I’d get your opinions since you’ll be a part of it.”

Luna, having finished her fit of giggles, placed a gentle hand on his arm. “What did you have in mind, Arthur?”

“Molly and I have always been incredibly proud of our large family, and we love all the ways it keeps growing. I want to get something to show it off and keep you all close to me at the same time,” he told her. “But I want to do it in a way that’s special to us and can grow as our family does. Is that something you’d be interested in helping me do, Luna?”

The blonde grinned and kissed him on the cheek. “I’d be honored to be a part of this. Let’s go get started on the planning.”

Ginny moved to follow them, but she didn’t feel Neville coming with her. She turned to him and waved him on.

“This is kind of a family thing, Gin. I don’t want to intrude.” Neville’s eyes dropped to the floor, suddenly taking great interest in his soil-caked shoes. 

She walked over and put her arm through his. “You’ve been supporting Luna and me ever since we opened the shop. You all but live here after you close for the day, so much so that we should probably be paying you, and we spend all of Sunday together in your shop. Mum gets upset if you miss family dinners—which reminds me, you’re kind of in the doghouse for missing the last one—and my father calls you ‘Son.’ My brothers pick on you like you’re one of them. You’ve got a Christmas stocking at the Burrow and, most importantly, got your very own Weasley sweater. What’s it going to take for you to realize that you  _ are _ family, Nev?”

His eyes looked a bit glassy by the time she’d finished her speech, but there was a small smile on his face. “Well, when you put it that way,” he laughed thickly, leading her back to where Luna and Arthur sat in deep discussion. 

“I agree that an actual family tree is the most obvious solution,” Luna was saying, “but I’m afraid it’s quite… self-limiting. The family is, as you said, absolutely enormous  _ and _ still growing. We  _ could  _ put it on your back and try to make each branch rather small, but I’m still concerned that we’d run out of room rather quickly.”

“I also wouldn’t be able to show it off to anyone else if we put it on my back,” Arthur mused. “So an actual tree is out of contention.”

“What if you put everyone’s faces in little orbs that floated around? You could quarantine them to his arms, and he would have pictures of all of us,” Ginny suggested.

Luna made a face. “I’m good with faces, but I won’t be able to change them as the kids age. In 20 years, Victoire will be grown and possibly have children of her own, but Arthur’s tattoo would still show her as a five-year-old. But I really like the idea of having something float around his arm. That will give me plenty to work with, and we won’t run out of room too quickly.”

“Then what about just having everyone’s names bounce around?” she replied. 

“That could work…” Luna murmured. “But if that’s all they are, then people are going to want to read them, and that much text moving around is going to be really difficult to read.”

“And I’d really like something a little more unique,” Arthur said quietly.

The four sat in silence for a few moments, racking their brains for a new idea.

“I’ve got it! How about little weasel paw prints with everyone’s names and birthdays around them?” Luna chirped. 

Arthur shook his head. “I’m not just sticking to the legal Weasleys with this. I don’t want Harry or Hermione or Neville here to feel strange about their names being stuck in a weasel paw.”

Neville looked at him in awe. “I wouldn’t mind at all, Arthur. I’d be honored to have my name on a Weasley weasel paw.”

“Well, I’d really rather not,” Ginny muttered. “Besides, that’s just dad’s Patronus. And it’s not like we can use everyone else’s Patronus forms—even though most all of us can cast a corporeal one, we don’t know what the kids’ will be.”

Neville nodded thoughtfully until his face adopted a curious expression. “This is going to seem really off topic but bear with me. Arthur, I meant to ask you this at Christmas dinner, but what’s the story behind all the rubber duck ornaments on the tree in your, uh, ‘workshop’?”

Arthur tossed his head back and laughed. “It’s kind of an ongoing joke. One of the things I asked Harry when I met him for the first time was something along the lines of, ‘What exactly is the function of a rubber duck?’ The topic came up at a family dinner right after the war ended, and suddenly I started getting different rubber duck ornaments from all my Muggle-born and half-blood family members.”

“That’s amazing,” Neville chuckled. “What if you turned  _ that  _ into a tattoo? You could have a little rubber duck with everyone’s name on it floating around your arms. That would showcase your love of Muggle culture as well as the size and personality of your family, and Luna could just add new ducks when someone else joins the family. Plus you wouldn’t have to have everything done at once.” The former war hero winced at the thought of having that much tattooed on his body, let alone all at once.

“And I could add little details for each individual family member!” Luna cried. “Like an earring for Bill and knitting needles for Molly and green eyes and that frightening hair for Harry. Oooooh, this would be so much fun!”

“A legion of rubber ducks—I think it sounds like a great plan!” Arthur agreed.

Together, the four spent an hour working on the logistics of the enormous undertaking—the size, design, and particulars for each little duck, which ducks to do first, and who exactly to include. 

When they were finished, Luna wiped her brow and glanced at the clock. “Arthur, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think we’ve got time to start this today.”

He waved her off. “I wasn’t really looking to start it just yet anyway. I was  _ really  _ thinking of putting it off until Molly leaves to visit the Delacours next month.”

“Then let’s head up front and book you for then. I just hope Mum doesn’t kill you when she gets back from France,” Ginny said with a smirk.

“That makes two of us,” he muttered.

When he’d verified an appointment time, Arthur turned to his tattoo artist. “How much do I owe you for your time today, Luna?”

“Not a Knut,” she replied.

“I can’t agree to that,” Arthur said. “You’re a professional, and I’m availed myself of your expertise, even if we didn’t start on the actual tattoo today.”

Luna shook her head vehemently. “No sir, I can’t take any money from you. You’ve opened your family to so many of us, and now you’re letting me permanently memorialize it on your body. It’s one of the most beautiful endeavors I’ve ever been asked to partake in, and I won’t take any money for it. Your gold’s no good here, Arthur.” She threw her arms around him, and he immediately returned the gesture.

“My sweet daughter,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. 

When they broke apart, he did the same to Ginny and then turned to a hesitant Neville. “Son, it takes a lot more than blood or marriage to make someone family. You’ll  _ always  _ be family to us.” 

And with that, he pulled Neville into a strong, back slapping hug the young man gladly returned. 

Willing the moisture from his eyes, he whispered, “Same here, Arthur, same here.”


	7. Dean and Seamus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: It's a bit shorter than I'm accustomed to, but it just came to me the same day as the last "chapter" and is intended to be a transitional one. All the same, I hope you enjoy it!

Luna waved goodbye to her customer as they walked out of the shop, the bell tinkling behind them, and turned to Ginny. "Merlin, I hope she doesn't come back again—she was so damn picky."

"Sorry you had a difficult client," Ginny murmured. She walked around the counter and gave her girlfriend a quick hug. "At least the next ones won't be like that."

Luna's brow furrowed. "Who do I have again?"

"Dean and Seamus."

"Oh, good. They won't take too long, and I know they'll be pleasant enough to work with."

The bell over the door rang again, but instead of Dean and Seamus, in walked Neville.

"Here to check on your children again?" Ginny asked with a smile.

He returned her grin as he walked to the back corner to examine the cast iron plant there. "Gotta make sure you haven't hurt my babies!"

Ginny clutched her heart. "You wound me, sir! I promised not to touch them, and I always keep my promises, on pain of death!" she cried, her voice dripping with faux chagrin.

Before Neville could pick at her anymore, the door opened again.

"Sorry we're late, Seamus takes forever to get ready," Dean called, unwinding the scarf from his neck.

"Oh, don't blame this one on me, Mr. I Can't Keep My Hands To Myself," Seamus parried.

Ginny smirked at the bantering pair. "Good to see you two haven't changed a bit."

"Ginny!" Dean cried, pulling her into a hug. "I knew we'd be working with Luna today, but I'm glad to see you again, too!"

As the four were swapping greetings and hugs, Neville called, "What am I? Dragon dung?"

Seamus' eyes lit up. "Hail, the conquering hero! How the hell have you been, Neville?"

The two old resistance leaders met with a strong handshake and slaps on the back. "Don't start with that old shite, Seamus. I killed a snake, not old Moldy Shorts," Neville said.

"Oh yeah, that's  _all_  you did." Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess it's good to see you're still immune to Seamus' attempts to boost your ego."

"It's been too long, mate," Neville said, giving the other man the same physical greeting.

"You'd see us more if you'd come back around on pub nights," Seamus said. "You've hardly been out in the past couple of years."

"I'll do my best to be at the next one, but I start really early in the shop, so it's hard to stay out late," Neville explained, regret coloring his tone. "Speaking of which, I need to head back over there. Gin, Lu, are you two still coming over for dinner tonight?"

"We'll be there with the roast," Ginny promised.

"And the wine!" Luna added.

Neville waved goodbye and exited the studio.

Luna turned to her newest customers. "So I understand you two are here for wedding band tattoos?"

"Yeah, when the Netherlands legalized gay marriage a few years ago, we started talking about it and decided that it's something we wanted to do," Dean said. "We're headed there next week to make it official."

"That's wonderful! Come on back into the consultation area, and we'll talk about what exactly you two want done."

Luna led the pair behind the beaded curtain, and Ginny sat back down at her stool. She was supposed to be going over invoices, but she her mind was determined to wander elsewhere.

An hour later, Dean and Seamus walked out of Luna's workspace grinning like fools.

"I take it you're pleased with the results?" Ginny asked.

"They're perfect!" Seamus crowed, holding his hand out for her to examine. "I'm an only child, you know, so I wanted to use Granda's ring for Dean, but it was too small for him and too large for me. We decided we each wanted a copy of it tattooed on our hands instead."

Luna had indeed done a beautiful job with the claddagh ring. Dean's was dark enough that it still stood out quite well on his deep skin tone, and the dimension on both tattoos was impeccable.

"You still blow me away, Lu," Ginny said, turning their hands over to admire the fluidity and unmatched quality of her work.

The clattering of coins on the countertop broke her train of thought.

"We haven't seen you two in  _so_ long, and I hate to just run out like this, but we've  _got_  to finish packing our suitcases for Amsterdam," Dean apologized.

"We'll have to get together sometime soon!" Seamus tacked on.

Luna just waved them out the door. "We'll figure it out when you get back from your honeymoon in Paris. Now go! Have fun! Celebrate love!"

"And try not to blow anything up!" Ginny called after them.

The men shot grateful, happy glances at their friends before rushing out of the shop.

Ginny just shook her head. "Some things never change."

"They really don't," Luna said. "But I didn't realize they'd stayed so close to Neville right after the war. They used to go pub hopping a few times a month together until Neville opened his shop."

"How odd. I never would have guessed that. Though we didn't exactly do a stellar job of keeping up with a lot of people from Hogwarts after the war," Ginny admitted.

Luna hummed in agreement. "I wonder why that is."

"Probably because we'd just started dating and spent as much time as humanly possible together," Ginny laughed.

"You're likely correct, but it still wasn't that much time. I mean, you were traveling all the time with the Harpies, and I was being commissioned for painting after painting. Though perhaps those are the same reasons we kind of forgot about some of our old friends. Work, work, work," Luna thought aloud.

Ginny shrugged. "At least we managed to mostly keep up with who was together and made it to all the important weddings and baby showers."

"Yes, weddings," Luna murmured, staring off into space.

If Ginny was right, and she usually was when it came to Luna, they were thinking the same thing: marriage?

There might have been a more tactful way to broach the subject, but Ginny Weasley wasn't exactly known for her delicate approaches. "Lu, do you think you'd ever want to get married?"

The blonde looked up at her and smiled. "Very much so, I think. But I don't want to run off to another country and another world just to do it alone. I'd like for our friends and family to be there to celebrate with us."

"You know as well as I do the wizarding world isn't exactly supportive of us as a couple," Ginny pointed out. "I doubt they'd ever let us get married."

Luna shrugged one shoulder. "So we'll fight for it. We'll petition the Wizengamot, talk to some of the old families. I'm sure that if we get Harry, Ron, and Hermione on board, something will eventually give."

"That could take a really long time. Decades even," Ginny murmured, her hand caressing her girlfriend's hair and jawline.

"Ah, but you'll be worth the wait," Luna said, gently kissing the tip of Ginny's chin. "Until then, I'll relish in the knowledge that I get to wake up with you every morning, work with you every day, and make love to you every night."

Ginny grinned. "That sounds pretty damn perfect to me, too, Lu."


	8. Fred and George

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sorry for the abnormally long time (for this fic, at least) between updates. I had minor surgery (it went well and I feel much better) and my grandpa was in the hospital for a bit (he's all healed and back at home), so I've just had a lot going on. Hopefully a new chapter is a good apology! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Warnings: Extensive discussion of needles and other tattoo paraphernalia; actual depiction of piercing process

"We have come to seek thy holiness!" a voice boomed through the studio.

Ginny's head jerked up and collided with the shelf. She strode out of the storage area, grumbling as she rubbed the back of her head, and found her twin brothers standing in the lobby.

"What are you two on about?"

"Whatever do you mean, dear sister?" George asked, unable to suppress the twinkle in his eye. "We simply came to talk to you about getting an ear pierced."

Fred tugged his ear lobe and grinned. "Get it? Holey-ness?"

She rolled her eyes. "Mum's going to love this. Come on then."

The twins followed her behind the beaded curtain, their heads swiveling about and taking in the shop as they did so.

"What exactly do you want?" Ginny asked, taking a seat in Luna's chair and pulling out a thick catalog.

"Well, obviously Gred here only has one option," Fred joked.

Ginny shook her head. "I mean where exactly were you thinking of getting the piercing? Lobes? Upper shell? Inner cartilage? And what do you want from an earring? You can get them with all kinds of charms and glamours and shields and—"

George held up his hands and shook his head. "Slow down there, little sis,"

"—we just want our ears pierced." Fred said.

"Forge, it seems there's a bit more—"

"—thought that goes into the process. Think we should take a look—"

—at that enormous book? Good idea."

"Thank you, Gred!"

Ginny slid the book toward them. "This is a catalog of the various earrings I can get. I don't have them all on hand, but I've marked the ones that I've got in the shop. You can come see what they look like in real life if you come out to the case. Look through them, pick one to keep in for six to eight weeks, and we'll do it."

With that, she left them in the consultation area and walked back out to the counter.

It took them over half an hour, but eventually Fred and George came out to the front with a list. "We'd like to see these."

She pointed out the half dozen styles they'd noted, providing them with pros and cons of each piece. When she was finished, they looked at each other and did that weird, silent "twin-speak" thing for a minute. Then they turned to face her again.

"We'll take that one," they said in unison. They were pointing to a small silver spike in the back of the case.

"Nice choice, boys. Though I'm a little surprised the two of you would choose something with a built-in communication charm. I thought you two could do that without any help?"

Fred grinned at her. "A twin never reveals his secret."

Ginny led them back to her workspace and gathered up all materials. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'm in a hurry to make my two sides match!" George jumped up on the table and swung his feet. "Let's get this show on the road."

She shook her head but went about marking and verifying the location on George's ear lobe. After applying a quick Numbing Charm, she carefully lined up her needle and took a deep breath.

Just as the needle was about to make contact with his skin, George screamed at the top of his lungs.

Ginny jumped back, nearly knocking over her tray of tools. "What the fuck? I didn't even touch you!"

The two men started laughing like loons, pointing at her and trying to say something she was sure would just make her angrier.

As they started to calm down, Luna poked her head into the room. "Everything alright in here? I thought I heard a scream."

George and Fred collapsed in a fit of laughter again while Ginny's face grew impossibly redder. Once she explained the situation, Luna let out a little giggle.

"It's not funny!" Ginny cried, stomping her foot.

"You have to admit, it's a little funny," Luna chuckled.

The redhead reached for her wand. "I'll show them funny."

She surreptitiously canceled the Numbing Charm and waited for her brothers to come back to earth. When George was finally still enough, she lined up the needle and quickly shoved it through.

"Ouch!" he yelped. "I thought you were supposed to use a Numbing Charm!"

"I guess you took so long that it wore off," Ginny said sweetly.

Fred gaped at her. "That's inhumane!"

She shrugged and said, "Muggles do it all the time," earning another laugh from Luna.

Without another word she threaded the jewelry through and shoved a mirror at him.

"Thanks," George snorted. "Does look good though."

"Your turn Fred," Ginny said, shooing her other brother off the table. "Have you thought about which ear you want it in?"

"Right ear," he replied.

"Still have to match George after all these years?" Luna teased.

He snorted. "More like I need to match him so that people continue to have trouble telling us apart. Well, at least from some angles."

Fred was much better behaved, and he never felt a thing thanks to his Numbing Charm.

On their way to the front of the shop, Ginny handed the twins each a slip of paper. "This is the charm to activate your earrings. It's got the incantation and some instructions, so I'd wait until you get back to your flat to start them up and give them a try."

"Will do," George said as they each stacked the appropriate amount of gold onto the counter.

Before Ginny could give them care and cleaning instructions, their father burst through the door.

"I have great news!" he crowed. Then his eyes landed on his prankster sons, and he raised one eyebrow. "What are you two doing here? I just went by your shop to tell you about this, but Lee said you'd gone to seek divinity, or some other nonsense."

"Of course, dad," Fred replied. "We came to see if Gin could help us on our path to holey-ness."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Holiness?"

George pointed toward his newly pierced ear. "See? Now both sides match!"

Arthur heaved a sigh. "Your mother is going to love that. Anyway, since I've got you all here, I'll just go ahead and say it—Fleur's pregnant!"

"Again?" all four young people asked in unison.

"Yep!" Arthur chirped, completely missing their sarcasm and exasperation. "I'm going to be a grandpa again!"

Despite their surprise, Fred, George, Luna, and Ginny shared smile. They knew there was nothing he loved more than doting on his grandchildren.

Luna kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Congratulations, Arthur, that's wonderful."

"It really is, Dad," Ginny added, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm excited."

"Come on, Dad, let us buy you a pint to celebrate!" Fred said, pulling his father out of the shop.

"Thanks, Gin," George called over his shoulder as he followed them.

She slumped against the counter, and Luna gently wrapped an arm around her waist.

"They're always so full of energy," she murmured. "That hasn't changed since we were all little and they used to chase you down the hill into our back garden."

Ginny chuckled. "Yeah, my brothers can be a bit much. I don't know how mum and dad handled raising all seven of us."

She stared out the shop window at all the passersby. In the middle of the day, there weren't a lot of people milling about. These shoppers were mostly stay-at-home wives and mothers. There were young mothers with babies on their hips, older women out for the day with their daughters, mums trying to wrangle a few children just too young for Hogwarts into behaving. At her age, Ginny felt like she should have felt some kind of pull, some instinct or desire to be one of the women changing diapers and chasing children. Yet, there was nothing. She liked kids, and she wouldn't say she'd never want them. But right now, she just didn't.

"A Sickle for your thoughts?" Luna asked, bringing her out of her head and back to the present.

"I thought it was supposed to be 'a Knut for your thoughts,'" Ginny joked. They'd never discussed that particular topic, and she wasn't sure if this was a good time to bring it up. Better to just redirect the conversation.

Luna hummed noncommittally. "Perhaps that's true. But these are  _your_  thoughts, so I figured they were worth more than just a Knut."

Ginny leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, Lu."

"Now tell me what's got you so… pensive."

Of course she couldn't hide it from Luna. "I was just thinking about Dad's announcement and how much he loves being a parent and a grandparent."

"And?"

"And I don't know if that's something I want."

There, she'd said it. Ginny chewed her lip and looked away, afraid of what she might see if she met Luna's gaze.

Luna gently pulled her chin around so that they were face to face. "It's okay if you don't want to be a mum."

Ginny swallowed. "But do you?"

"Not right now," Luna said with a shrug. "And I'm not getting any younger, so unless I changed my mind pretty soon, I don't know if I'd be able to have one of my own. Though Neville would be a wonderful sperm donor."

"You're not wrong," Ginny laughed. "I think I feel the same way. We've just got so much going on, and I'm happy with my life and where I think it's headed. But I'm afraid to completely rule it out, you know?"

Luna mused, "If we decide we want kids later, there's always adoption."

"I suppose you're right," Ginny said. Maybe they would have their own children someday. Maybe they'd adopt a baby from a foreign country like Muggles sometimes did. Maybe they'd take in a whole passel of orphans from the war and raise them to be tattoo-loving rebels themselves. But she and Luna didn't have to make a decision today, and it felt right to know that, whatever decision they  _did_  make, they'd make together.


	9. Outtake One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This isn't one of the chapters I was planning, but once I got the idea it wouldn't leave me alone. So here it is folks! This particular little scene takes place waaaaaaay before the start of the shop and our story, but it's a little insight into our characters and whatnot. Now I'm rambling. Enjoy!

The Muggle bar was a bit crowded, but Ginny didn't mind too much. It was the best place to go out with Luna because no one here gave a damn, and none of their friends seemed to mind forgoing magic for the occasional night on the town. In fact, she could see her brother over at the bar chatting up a pair of pretty girls and doing his best to turn on the charm. Despite their giggling and hair flipping, it was clear they were only sticking around for the possibility of a free drink—not that Ron knew that. Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, were out on the dance floor moving in a way that would have made Molly Weasley blush and probably faint.

Neville followed her gaze to the couple and blushed. "My gran would have a conniption if she saw them," he said.

"I was thinking the same thing about my mum!" she exclaimed, inching further into the booth and away from the dance floor.

Luna cocked her head to the side. "I think the way they're dancing looks quite fun. It might be more fun if they were wearing less clothing, though I suppose that's not appropriate for a public venue."

Neville and Ginny shared an uncomfortable glance. Luna's tactlessness was often refreshing, but times like this were enough to make all of her friends hold their breaths whenever she opened her mouth.

"Yeah, definitely not, Lu. That doesn't remotely resemble the dancing I learned. I don't even know where they learned to do that," Ginny told her.

Luna shrugged before sliding out of the booth and extending a hand to Ginny. "Let's go give it a shot."

"Oh ho, no way," she replied. "We can't, uh, we can't just leave Neville here with everyone's drinks."

Neville grinned and waved her off. "I'm fine here, Gin. I've got a pint and a great view of the dance floor," he said with a playful eyebrow wag.

"Some help you are!" Ginny called over her shoulder as Luna pulled her out on the floor.

And that's how Ginny found herself in the middle of the writhing crowd of people, dancing to the thumping bass beat with Luna shimmying back and forth across her body. She had no idea what to do with her hands, her hips, her feet. She felt awkward and exposed, like that nightmare she always had about flying out into a Quidditch match in just her underwear. In other words, she was absolutely terrified.

Somehow, she made eye contact with a sweaty, smiling Hermione. The older witch took in her stiff form and wide eyes before shaking her head and mouthing, "Just let go."

 _Let go._ Easier said than done.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny allowed the bass beat to resonate through her body. She began swaying back and forth to the music, slowly letting her hips and then her shoulders follow. She felt Luna's hands grab her waist, and, before she knew it, they were moving together like everyone else on the dance floor.

"See? I knew you could do it!" Luna yelled above the din.

Warmth flooded Ginny's chest—being with Luna made her feel so brave and alive and ridiculously happy, even over the silliest things. Moments like this were what life was all about.

After a few more songs, the music slowed significantly. Luna moved to leave the dance floor, but this time Ginny was the one to hold her back.

"Come on, one slow song!" she begged.

"Only because I know you love it," Luna grumbled. "But you know I can't lead, so you'll have to."

Ginny pulled her in close and began swaying slowly to the music. The song was sweet and romantic, and Luna felt so perfect in her arms. That same warm feeling from earlier washed over her, and Ginny knew it was time. She'd never said it out loud, and the moment probably wasn't perfect, but Ginny just couldn't hold it in anymore. "Luna, I love you," she whispered into her girlfriend's ear. "I love you so much that I sometimes I can't think straight. I would move mountains, face any fear, topple another government for you. You're it for me."

"The last two I know you can do, but move mountains?" Luna whispered back, a smile playing at her lips.

"I'd take down Ben Nevis rock by rock if you asked me to," Ginny replied earnestly. "Granted, I would definitely use magic, but I'd do it for you just the same."

Luna threw her head back laughing. "I know you would. And Gin, you have to know I would do the same for you. You're my other half."

"Even if you hate the way I lead when we're dancing?"

"I don't hate it…"

"You'll do just about anything to get out of it."

"But I don't always. Because I love you too."

Ginny grinned triumphantly and spun her out with a bit too much force. When Luna stumbled, Ginny brought her back in, chuckled, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sweet Merlin, you must."


	10. Molly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always imagined that, even after the war, Ginny and Molly maintained a somewhat rocky relationship. Molly can just be so overbearing, and Ginny will probably never let go of her little rebellious/anti-authority streak. This chapter is a bit less...happy? than the others have been, but it's still fairly fluffy. And Neville is back! I've got a lot more chapters planned, but let me know what you if you've got any suggestions for who else should make an appearance. Let me know your thoughts!
> 
> Also, HecateA pointed this out while we were brainstorming and I can't ignore it. Almost against my will, this has turned into a bit of an EverybodyLives!AU, and there's nothing I can do about it. (Okay, that's a lie, I can't handle killing off characters so I just write them back into the story, I've done this on purpose, love me anyway, k thanks.)
> 
> Lastly, I know I have this listed as having 15 chapters, but that's officially been shot to hell. I've got like 20 planned, and if my friends have anymore brilliant ideas there will probably be more. I don't know what they'll look like, who will be in them, if they'll be more chapters or outtakes, nothing. But I do promise that our ladies will be front and center and that I'll keep you for sticking with me!

Ginny dipped her quill in the ink and circled yet another ad in the classifieds of  _The Daily Prophet_. She was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't hear anyone approach.

"Ginny, dear, you really should pay more attention to who's coming into your shop. Honestly, anyone could have just wandered in here, and the world is full of dangerous people, you know."

She jerked upright. "Mum, what are you doing here?"

Molly plopped a paper bag on the counter in front of her. "Cheese and pickle sandwiches. I thought I would stop by and bring you two some lunch. You can't be eating enough, you're both nothing but skin and bones!"

Ginny fought off the urge to roll her eyes. For once her mother wasn't  _completely_ exaggerating—both she and Luna had lost a bit of weight since business had picked up at the shop. "Thank you. I'll see if Lu feels like eating one when she's finished with her current client."

"Make sure she does," Molly ordered. The scowl on her face brooked no argument from her daughter, who recognized the matriarch's "Mother Hen Rampage" look and decided it was best to keep her head down—for now.

Ginny heard the back door slam, and her heart sank. Before she could discreetly warn him about their visitor, Neville walked into the shop and called her name.

"I think you left this in the back yesterday," he said as he walked into the lobby waving a folder she knew was full of flyers and adverts for new flats. His gait faltered only a moment when caught sight of Molly. He dropped the folder on the counter and smiled. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Weasley."

Molly reached out, pinched his arm, and frowned. "Skin and bones on this one, too. If I didn't know better, I might think all of you kids were starving! Next time I'm bringing extras for Neville."

"Merlin's saggy left—"

" _Ginevra_!"

"Mum, we're  _busy_ ," Ginny grumbled. "That's all. You don't have to poke food down us like we're on a hunger strike."

Molly visibly swelled with the reprimand building in her jaw, but Neville beat her to it.

"I don't mind, Gin. It's no secret that I probably need someone to make sure I eat regular meals." He eyed the folder on the counter. "Speaking of secrets, have you told Luna you're looking for a new flat?"

"Don't tell me you're breaking up!" said Molly, her eyes growing wide at the thought. "I thought you two were so happy! Oh, this is terrible, and just when the shop was doing so well—"

Ginny heard footsteps headed for the lobby and hissed, "We're not breaking up!"

The three went silent for a few seconds as Luna ushered her client out the door. As she dropped their money in the till, she said brightly, "Of course we're not splitting up! Why would we?"

Neville nodded toward the folder on the counter.

"Oh good, I thought we'd lost that," Luna chirped. She walked over and picked up the  _Prophet_  Ginny had been flipping through. "Anything to add from this one?"

Ginny shrugged. "There are a few places that look decent, but nothing like what we'd be leaving."

"Then why on earth are you moving?" Molly pressed. "I thought you liked living above Mr. Caywood's butcher shop?"

"We do! It's been a great place for us, and I hate to leave it, but our lease is up next month, and last week Mr. Caywood told us he doesn't want to renew it. His niece is getting married, and he wants to let her move into the flat with her new husband. Ergo, they get the flat and we get the boot," Ginny explained.

Luna said, "It's been a bit more difficult to find somewhere comparable, especially on short notice. I won't miss the smell, though."

"Why don't you two come live with me?" Neville blurted out.

The three women turned to look at him with various expressions of confusion.

"I bought an old Muggle cottage in the Cotswolds last year and renovated it," he explained, a flush creeping up his neck. "I was tired of renting a flat that didn't give me space for a vegetable garden or a greenhouse, so I saved up my money for a few years and found this place with plenty of room for a price I could pay in full. Did you know the Galleon to pound conversion rate was so incredible? I've got a spare bedroom you two could use as long as you wanted, rent free."

Ginny winced. "Nev, as much as we appreciate the offer, we don't have enough time these days to pack all our things and move in with you now just to turn around and move to another flat two months later."

"It's nothing personal," Luna assured him, patting his hand gently.

Neville just grinned. "Then come live with me permanently! I think we would make good roommates, and I meant it when I said I had plenty of space. The back garden has this huge elm tree that I've been meaning to put a reading bench under, and there aren't any neighbors for miles, and here, just take a look."

He whipped out his wallet and pulled from it a set of photographs. The pictures were clearly centered on various different plants, but, from what Ginny could see, the cottage was roomy yet cozy. They would have a lot more space than they did in their current flat. The back garden was, in fact, huge, surrounding a tree that she would have immediately climbed in her younger years and with small patio that looked perfect for her morning cup of tea. The bedrooms were about the same size and large enough for all their furniture. The bathroom was bigger than she expected, and it wouldn't be too difficult to share it with two other people. Most importantly, the whole place exuded freedom and tranquility and utter peace. Not to mention the renovations and equipment investments they could make with the money they currently allotted for rent…

"Oh, girls this is lovely," Molly gushed. "And you would be so much safer living with a man!"

Ginny gritted her teeth. Of course her mother would see that as the most beneficial aspect their possible arrangement. Forget the greater financial independence and personal space this would afford them  _and_  the fact that they could each hold their own against most opponents. No, they'd be protected by some big strong  _man_.

Molly's pushiness had always grated on Ginny's nerves, and right now it made her want to act out like a rebellious teenager. "This place looks amazing, but we'll need to think on it for a bit. Right, Lu?"

Luna nodded. "Of course. We don't want to rush this kind of decision." She shot Ginny a look that let the redhead know she wasn't a subtle as she thought.

Neville deflated a bit.

"Now just a minute, girls—"

"Mum, it's  _our_ decision," Ginny said emphatically, gesturing between Luna and herself. Molly pursed her lips but said nothing more.

"Just let me know when you do decide," said Neville, "but even if you don't want it now, the offer always stands, should you ever need it. I should probably head back to the shop and check on tomorrow's orders, though."

The Weasley matriarch pinched his cheek. "You're a good boy, Neville Longbottom."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Both girls hugged him goodbye and watched him walk out of the shop.

"I do hope you'll both consider his generous offer," said Molly, "and not just because I want you to. I think you'd all be good for each other. Besides all the positives on your end, Neville could benefit from having more people around, especially people he's so fond of."

He  _had_ been happier and more outgoing since she and Luna insinuated themselves so deeply into his life. Ginny hated it when her mother was so insightful. "We'll think about it, Mum, I promise."

Molly swept toward the door. "Eat your lunch!" she called, and then she was gone.

Luna leaned against the counter and sighed. "I know you two have a difficult relationship, but are you always going to be so obstinate when it comes to your mother?"

"Probably."

"You know this a good offer."

"Yep."

"Better than anything we could find in an advert or on a flyer."

"Uh huh."

"And yet you're still going to hem and haw over this, just because your mum, who loves you and wants the best for you, thinks it would be good for us to live with a man. A man who is our best friend and basically family."

Ginny stared hard at the floor. She hated it when Luna brought logic into their arguments, especially when she knew she was being irrational.

"Fine," Luna huffed lightly. "Let me know when you get your arse off your shoulders."

As she walked away, Ginny thunked her head onto the counter. She hated admitting she was wrong, but she hated having Luna mad at her even more. She would give in… eventually.


	11. Hermione

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I've taken a few… creative liberties with Hermione's injury. According to OOTP, there was no mark, no scar, just a lot of pain and a regimen of ten different potions to heal it. A lot of stories I've read say that it's given her a scar, and I've always kind of imagined it to be true. So, in short, we're working from my headcanon and not actual canon. Sorry if that disappoints you!
> 
> Also, just a heads up, this has a pretty heavy Harmony/Pumpkin Pie/HHr/whatever-you-want-to-call-it component. If that doesn't float your boat, I won't be offended if you pass this chapter by. I can promise the next installment will be far more focused on our lovely Luna and Ginny. That said, I hope you enjoy this one all the same!
> 
> Warning: discussion of canon battle and the aftermath thereof; strong emotional content

 

* * *

Ginny was walking her client out—Merlin, it was the fifth pair of little girl ears she'd done this week, which is not what she'd expected when they'd opened the shop—when she heard voices coming from the consultation area. She glanced at the clock on the wall. She'd had the last client on the books for today, and they were set to close in twenty minutes. Surely Luna wouldn't want to stay late tonight. Maybe someone just wanted to talk for a minute about an idea…

After dropping the money in the till, Ginny sidled up to the curtain. Inside, she heard a familiar voice ask about her, and she shoved back the strands of beads without another thought.

"Hermione! What are you doing here? I thought we weren't doing dinner with you and Harry until next week," Ginny exclaimed. She glanced down at her jumper and jeans—definitely not appropriate for the restaurant they had picked out.

"Breathe, Gin," Hermione said with a chuckle. "I'm just here for a chat with you and Luna."

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't usually come into the consultation space to  _chat_."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've been mulling over getting a particular tattoo for years, and after seeing the one Luna did for Harry, I've decided it's time. I'm just a bit… nervous. I wanted to learn everything I could about the process beforehand, and I really don't want the entire world to know about it because it's not something I'm comfortable bringing up with just anyone. Luna has so graciously agreed to stay late to talk me through the process and help me decide on a final design. I'm hoping she can start on the actual tattoo tomorrow."

"That sounds about right," Ginny said with a wide smile. "Well, I'll leave you to it while I clean up." She had already pushed back the beaded strands when Hermione's voice stopped her.

"Would you mind coming back when you're done? I'd like your opinion, too."

Ginny turned to look at her. Hermione's eyes steady, but there was something in her expression that piqued Ginny's curiosity.

"Of course. I'll only be a minute."

Ginny bustled about the shop, casting the appropriate cleaning charms on what she could and setting the brooms, rags, and mops in motion to take care of the rest. She locked the front door with a flick of her wrist, and her routine was finished.

When she made it back to the consultation area, Hermione was chatting lightly with Luna about some article in last quarter's edition of  _Journal of Runic Enchantment._  She took a seat in the empty client chair and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"Well, I guess we can get on with what I came here for." Hermione sighed. "I want a tattoo around the scar I got in the Department of Mysteries."

Ginny's memory of that night was still incredibly vivid. Hermione hadn't  _looked_  hurt when Dolohov's curse hit her, and it hadn't left any immediate mark. It was only after Hermione started taking the litany of healing potions that a mark even began to appear. The more of those healing potions she took—the more she internally recovered—the more the curse marked her externally. When she was finished, she was left with an angry red mark that initially caused her a lot of pain. Ginny remembered seeing it a few times when Hermione stayed at the Burrow. The wound, which ran from her right hip to below her left breast, had made the redhead shudder back then.

Luna looked at her friend warily. "I don't know that I've seen it since it healed and became a scar. Let me have a look at what I'd be working with."

Hermione stood and removed her shirt.

At the sight of it, Ginny felt herself flinch, and Luna sucked in a breath.

The scar wasn't red or angry anymore. Instead, the long, jagged streak was a pinkish white, with defined edges that didn't feather or branch off from the main line. It was better than Ginny remembered, but it still looked months rather than over a decade old.

"Yeah, Harry still has a similar reaction whenever he sees it," the brunette said with a humorless laugh. "The curse was quite dark, which means this is probably as much as it will ever heal. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still rather jarring to see, especially for Harry. I'm hoping this will assuage some of his guilt, or at least make him realize I'm not ashamed of it. I want to show him I've never regretted standing with him."

Luna looked at her canvas for another long moment before her shoulders sagged. "I hate to tell you this, Hermione, but I don't think I can tattoo over it. I've tried to ink over a few scars from dark magic, and not only is it incredibly painful, oftentimes the ink doesn't take well the first time. With a scar that large… I'm sorry, I don't think it's a good idea."

Hermione shook her head. "You're misunderstanding. I don't want to cover it up. I want to work around it and incorporate it into the design."

A grin stretched across Luna's face as she considered the idea. "Now  _that_  is an interesting concept. What did you have in mind?"

"I brought some pictures and a few rough sketches." Hermione pulled a stack of paper out of her bag. "Just don't judge me for my lack of drawing ability, okay? I never claimed to be an artist."

Luna took the sketches from her and shared them with Ginny. She'd drawn a few crude, pinkish flowers branching off her scar, like blooms on a tree limb. When Luna flipped to the photos, Ginny recognized them immediately.

"They're cherry blossoms," Hermione explained. "They're symbols of—"

"Beauty and strength and the brevity of human life," Ginny quoted.

When the other two brilliant witches shot her surprised looks, she smirked. "Neville was talking about them the other day. I do pick up on things, you know."

"I think this is a wonderful idea," Luna said. "I love that by using your scar as the tree branch, you aren't hiding it. The juxtaposition with the tattoo will simply highlight the love and personal strength it took to receive and bear the scar. A daily reminder of life's fleeting nature and the need to take it by the horns."

"My thoughts precisely," Hermione replied.

One side of Ginny's mouth quirked up. "Plus, it's going to look beautiful  _and_  badass."

* * *

Hermione arrived the next day just as Ginny was flipping the paper sign to Closed.

"No Harry?" she asked, leading her friend down the hallway.

Hermione chewed her lip. "I actually haven't told him about any of this. I want it to be a surprise."

Luna met them at the door to her workspace and gave Hermione a big hug. "Are you excited? Or nervous?"

"I think both would apply here," she replied with an anxious chuckle.

Ginny stayed and held Hermione's hand through the process, which took quite a bit longer than they'd initially planned. But it was all worth it for the joy on Hermione's face when she saw her tattoo.

"I can't believe I actually did that!" Hermione laughed as Luna wrapped her mid-section with plastic. "I love it! Thank you so much, Luna."

The blonde hugged her shoulder. "I'm so glad I could do this for you. Just remember what we talked about last night—"

"Keep it moisturized, don't pick off the scabs, no magic applied directly to it, come back for a follow up in two weeks," Hermione recited.

"Exactly!"

At that moment, they heard the Floo chime.

Ginny's brow furrowed. "What the—"

"Gin? Luna?" Harry's voice bellowed through the shop. "Have you seen Hermione?"

"We're back here!" Luna called.

"Sweet Merlin," Hermione muttered, tugging her shirt back on. "I thought I'd have some time to warm him up to the idea before I just showed it to him."

Ginny smirked. "Seems there's no time like the present."

Harry barreled into the small room. "Hermione, what the hell? You said you'd be home hours ago. I was afraid something had happened to you."

"Relax, Harry. My visit just took a little longer than planned."

He scrubbed a hand down his face. "And none of you could have sent a Patronus or Flooed to let me know?"

The three ladies had the good grace to look a bit abashed.

"I'm sorry, we were just in the middle of something," Hermione said. "I didn't think of how it would look to you."

"It's alright," Harry said. "I probably overreacted a bit. Work's got me a bit on edge lately. But what were you doing over here so late? Ginny and Luna could easily have just come over to ours."

Hermione visibly steeled herself and then lifted her shirt. "This."

Harry stared at the tattoo for a long moment before falling to his knees at Hermione's feet. When he pressed his forehead into her stomach, just below the scar, she slowly ran a hand through his hair. Ginny felt as though she was intruding on a terribly intimate moment, but she couldn't pull herself away.

"What do you think?" Hermione whispered.

"I think it's beautiful," he breathed. "I think  _you're_  beautiful, and I love you. I hate that you're saddled with this because of me, but I love that you've gotten Luna to turn it into something so amazing."

She harrumphed. "I'm proud of this scar and what it represents. When you went through hell, I stood with you, and I'd do it a hundred times over."

Harry pressed a light kiss into one of the blossoms. "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

"I thought you fell asleep when we watched that film!"

"How could I?" Harry said, standing and taking her hand. "That girl reminded me so much of you."

They shared a look so intense that it almost knocked Ginny back.

"As lovely as this has been, why don't you two love birds head on home?" Luna asked dryly.

For the first time since he'd seen the tattoo, Harry seemed to remember they had an audience. "Oh, uh, hi, Luna, Gin. Yeah, we'll just do that. Lovely to, um, see you both."

As he tugged Hermione out of the room, she laughed heartily. "We'll see you two next week?"

"Of course." Ginny smirked. "That is, of course, if Harry lets you out of bed."

"Shut up, Gin!" Harry yelled.

As Ginny and Luna shared a giggle, they heard their friends Floo home.

"Never a dull moment around here, eh?" Ginny said as they cleaned up before leaving.

Luna nodded. "I suppose. I really enjoy those kinds of surprises, though."

"Well, I've got one more for you." Ginny pulled a Muggle cooler from beneath the front counter and opened it to reveal a bag of ripe, juicy cherries. She held one up and said, "I had these on the brain all night after talking with Hermione, so I popped out to get them earlier today. Want one?"

Luna plucked it out of her hand and popped it in her mouth. "Don't mind if I do."

After they'd both eaten a handful, Ginny leaned over and kissed her girlfriend. It was slow and sweet and tasted of cherries and something innately Luna. In other words, absolutely perfect.


	12. Pansy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So this took a slightly… heated turn at the very end. It's nothing too extreme, but if lots of kissing and implied [eyebrow waggle] doesn't crank your tractor, then maybe just stop reading about a half dozen lines until the end. Also, I'm sorry if this feels like a filler chapter because, well, it kind of is. I wanted to put the one major plot element from this chapter in the last one, but it was just soooooooo long already. And so this little chapter was born! Hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> Warnings: Extensive discussion of piercings; mention of a piercing gone wrong; implied smut

Today had been… strange.

First, they'd gotten a shipment of iridescent inks Luna had been eyeing for a while but didn't remember ordering. Ginny would have to telephone the company later to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but all the paperwork seemed to be in order. Next, they looked at the schedule and realized the morning appointments, which were the hardest to fill, were all taken and their afternoon was completely clear. If they didn't get any walk-ins, they might be able to sneak out a bit early—something that  _never_  happened these days. To top it all off, they hadn't seen Neville all day. He usually popped in to say hello an hour or so after they opened, but when Ginny popped over to the Leaky Cauldron to pick up lunch, they hadn't so much as heard a noise from next door. Yes, today was a strange one.

And it seemed the universe was bent on making it even weirder. When she got back to the shop, Ginny found Pansy Parkinson standing over the display case.

"Hello," she said, dropping the takeaway on the counter, "how can I help you?"

The brunette straightened and gestured toward a set of sparkly diamond-esque studs. "I'll take six of these, three for each side."

Ginny crossed her arms and leaned a hip against the display case. "And what, pray tell, are you going to do with them?"

"I want you to put them along my collarbone."

Ginny's eyes widened a bit. "You mean you want a dermal piercing?"

"If that's what you call them, then I suppose so," Pansy sniffed. "I saw them in a Muggle magazine a few months ago, and they would be a perfect compliment to the dress I'm wearing to the spring Ministry Ball."

"When is that happening?"

"Spring. Duh."

Ginny took a deep breath. "How many weeks until then, Parkinson? You have to give them time to heal."

"Why can't you just heal them as soon as you're finished? If I wanted them done the Muggle way, I would have gone to a Muggle establishment," she sneered.

"Somehow I very much doubt that," Ginny retorted. "I can't heal them right away because there's a good chance your body could over-heal itself and completely close the hole with the jewelry still inside it. I tried it on Luna once and had to turn around and cut the stud out of her. It wasn't pretty."

Pansy shuddered at the thought. "Fine. Will there be anything I can't do while I wait for them to heal?"

"You'll need to wear loose, breathable clothing, keep the area clean, and be watchful. If it appears to be moving or if your skin turns red, come back in and see me  _immediately_ ," Ginny explained.

"I can handle that," Pansy said with a dismissive wave. "I've got about three and a half months until the ball. Is that long enough?"

Ginny did some quick mental math. "That should do fine, but you'll have to be careful. You really have to baby dermals because you can pull them out if you're not mindful of them. If that happens, you'll have to come back here and let me redo it, which means starting the healing process from square one again."

Pansy sighed. "That's fine, the house elves live to baby me. If you can't heal them, can you at least use a Numbing Charm? I know some people are into the whole pain thing, but that's really not my style."

"That I can do," Ginny chuckled.

* * *

When they were finished, Ginny and Pansy walked back to the lobby where Luna was tucking in to her bangers and mash.

"Hello, Pansy," she said, offering an easy smile. "What's brought you in today?"

She tugged aside the neck of her blouse and showed off her new jewelry.

"Those are lovely!" Luna exclaimed.

"Thank you," Ginny and Pansy said at the same time.

Pansy rolled her eyes and dug the appropriate number of Galleons out of her bag. "Thanks for not screwing up the Numbing Charm, Weasley. You said to come back in two weeks for a follow up?"

"Yes, unless you notice something out of the ordinary. In that case you need to—"

"Come in immediately, yes, yes." Pansy started to sling her bag over her shoulder and thought better of it. "I'll see you in two weeks then."

She breezed out of the shop, leaving Ginny and Luna shaking their heads in her wake.

"I hope she's proficient with the Numbing Charm," Luna muttered. "Mine hurt terribly if I let it wear off."

"I remember that," Ginny said, flushing a bit. "Having them between your boobs kept them out of sight, out of mind—at least for you. But she's got elves who take care of mundane things like that for her. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I suppose." Luna glanced over at the books. "We don't have anyone else on the schedule for today."

The two locked eyes.

"Want to leave early?" they asked in unison.

They laughed hard for a moment. Ginny couldn't help thinking how nice it was to be on the same page as the person you loved. Speaking of which…

As she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, she said, "What do you say we hunt Neville down and let him know we're taking him up on his offer?"

Luna whipped her head toward Ginny. "You mean it?"

"Yeah," Ginny said softly. "I wanted to agree immediately, and I knew you wanted that too. But when my mum just had to butt in, I couldn't help but want the opposite thing. I don't know, it's just that whenever she sticks her nose in my personal life I just get a little…"

"Stubborn?" Luna offered, shooting a Locking Charm at the front door and then slipping her arms around Ginny's waist. "Ornery? Spiteful? Ridiculous?"

"You don't have to be so honest about it," Ginny muttered, dipping her head to take Luna's lips in her own. She quickly deepened the kiss, and Ginny felt her knees grow weak.

"You're an arse, but I love you anyway," Luna whispered as she moved to nibble on her ear. "You know what I'd really like to do right now?"

"I'm not the Seer here, so you'll have to tell me," Ginny said, tangling her hands in Luna's long hair and pulling her lips back to her own.

Luna bit Ginny's lower lip and tugged gently. "I'd like to take you back to our flat. And then I'd like to take a good look at  _all_  the places you have left for me to tattoo. A good,  _long_  look."

Ginny shuddered as Luna's lips moved to her neck. "I think that would be a very good idea. Leaving, I mean. Can't very well do that here, and I  _definitely_  want to do that."

"Might have to put off sharing the good news with Neville until tomorrow," Luna murmured as Ginny's slipped under the edge of her blouse.

Without breaking their kiss, Ginny firmly gripped Luna's hips and started tugging her toward the Floo. Neville was  _definitely_  going to have to wait.


	13. Outtake Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another little idea/outtake that wouldn't leave me alone. Hope you enjoy!

It was just a date. Dinner. Salads and chicken and wine and dessert. Logically she knew there was no reason to be nervous. That didn't do anything to assuage the storm of butterflies roiling in her stomach.

Ginny squared her shoulders and pulled open the door to the restaurant. A quick glance around the small, intimate room told her that she'd beaten Luna here, and she let out a shuddering breath. She was ten minutes early. Luna always ran a few minutes late. It was all going to be fine. It would be perfect. It  _had_  to be.

"I have a reservation for Weasley," she told the hostess, trying to ignore the tremor in her voice. "I'm expecting someone else as well."

She was shown to a small corner table and sank into the padded chair less than gracefully. Ginny tried to focus on the menu, but the words swam on the page in front of her, which just added to the pounding in her head and her chest. Instead of trying to make sense of the menu, she glued her gaze to the front door.

"Good evening, ma'am."

Ginny jumped, and her hand twitched toward where her wand was holstered on her thigh.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," the young waiter said. "What can I get you to drink?"

She stared at his handsome face for a moment too long as she tried to process his words. "I, uh, I think I'll have, um…" She had no clue what she wanted.

He smiled kindly. "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

Ginny nodded and swallowed. "That would be lovely, thank you."

"First date?"

"That obvious, huh?"

The waiter chuckled. "I've been here long enough that I know one on sight."

"I need it to be perfect."

"Well, you can start out with the perfect wine. How about a nice cabernet? I've got one I'm sure will knock his socks off."

"Sounds great," Ginny murmured, her eyes drifting back to the front door.

As the minutes passed, her foot started tapping. She alternated her stares between the front door, her watch, and the door to the kitchen because that man had promised her wine, and dammit she needed it tonight of all nights and—

"Hello."

Ginny's head jerked around.

She had to remind herself to breathe.

Luna was perfect. She absolutely glowed in a shimmery, pale blue dress that hugged tight to her chest and waist before floating down to her knees. Her blonde curls and sparkling gray eyes just added to her etherealness, and Ginny was reminded of the stories her mum used to tell about delicate fairies with gossamer wings. Luna looked more beautiful than any fairy of Ginny's imagination.

"Hi," Ginny finally breathed. "You look amazing."

Luna tucked a curl behind her ear. "Thank you. You look lovely as well."

She sat across from Ginny, and for a long moment they just stared at each other in awkward silence. When they tried to break the ice, their lines all felt stilted and forced and the farthest thing from the perfect, effortless conversation Ginny had been counting on.

When Luna escaped to the ladies' room, Ginny dropped her head into her hands. This was going to be an enormous failure. This could ruin their friendship. Maybe they should just—

A warm hand slipped a glass of wine into hers.

"You're over thinking it," the waiter said casually.

"Don't you think I know that?" Ginny snapped. "But I don't even know where to start. It was way fucking easier to talk to her when we just best friends."

"Aren't you still friends?"

"Well obviously, but I—"

He cut her off there. "Then talk to your friend. That's where you start."

"That's the best you can come up with?"

The waiter rolled his eyes and said, "I brought liquid courage, too. What more do you want from me?" He then dashed away before she could snap at him again.

Ginny sat back in her chair and sipped her wine as she mulled over his advice. Could it be so simple?

Luna returned a few moments later, looking a bit calmer and her makeup refreshed. What caught Ginny's eye, though, was the little smudge of lipstick on her front tooth. A small imperfection she'd helped Luna correct a thousand times over the past few years. The perfect reminder that they were, first and foremost, the best of friends. She could handle this.

"Lu, you've got a bit of," said Ginny as she gestured toward her own mouth. "Just on your tooth there."

Luna let out a nervous giggle and quickly wiped it away with her napkin. When she was done, she flashed a quick smile at Ginny. "I always do that. Better?"

Ginny nodded and reached across the table for her hand. "Perfect."


End file.
